Upcoming Events:

May 22, RoundTable: Updates on three innovative and creative CDCs. Our flyer can be viewed HERE. The event will be held at 12pm at the Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency.

There will be presentations by Clifton Heights CURC (with Towne Properties and Al Neyer Inc.), Cincinnati Northside CURC and Housing Opportunities of Northern Kentucky.

June 14, Our Annual Awards Celebration! Come celebrate the community development industry in Cincinnati! Reserve your spot through paypal HERE or RSVP to jocelyn.gibson@cdcagc.org. The event will be held at 11:30am at the Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency.

CDC NEWS: The Back Office Project is Up and Running!!

The Back Office Project is the latest program of the CDC Association, supported by the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, which will provide services to member organizations. This access to services, information and expertise will support community development corporations (CDCs) in building their own capacity and galvanizing their communities. 

CDCs can vary in size but they are typically small organizations and a lot of administrative time gets tied up in the day to day functions of payroll, accounting, and employees.  Even the larger ones spend much valued time with administrative functions.  The time the director spends on Board development, accounting and IT might better be spent in the development of housing or commercial spaces.  Through the Back Office Project, CDC developers and directors will be able delegate operational tasks to consultants in these areas of expertise.  CDC Association will be able to negotiate savings for back office services, combining needs of member organizations and creating economies of scale.

Needs which have been identified by the CDCs include website design and updating, information technology, accounting and finance, and human resources expertise.  Marketing and communications, grant writing / fundraising, legal expertise, and project management services are all ideas which may be added in the future.

Like the vast majority of small non-profit organizations, these Back Office needs are not the core business of CDCs. However, when a problem arises, it can cripple the organization for days. Trying to solve these challenges internally can become a major distraction, and other aspects of the business usually suffer. More often than not, these challenges end up costing far in excess of the organization’s budget.  The Back Office Project will provide affordable support for all these issues.

The CDC Association and members understand that there is a cost associated with this project. A Request for Proposal process has been used to select vendors.  The CDCs will be required to contribute a nominal predetermined fee to participate.  A separate fee will be accessed for each service area.  The CDCs will pay $250 per year for most services.  CDCs have the option of selecting which service areas are of value to their organizational needs.  The CDC Association has a major commitment from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation of $60,000 over three years to initiate this program.  Additional funds are being raised for increased program success. 

The goal of the Back Office Program is to increase the capacity of member organizations 25%.  We are meeting with area funders, including banks, to talk about partnering with us to build this capacity. 

Lesley Floyd is Project Manager for the Back Office Project.  For further information and to provide financial support for the program, please contact her at Lesley.floyd@cdcagc.org.

2011 CDC Operating Support Grant

Just out: The 2012 RFP for Operating Support! Download here the: 1. RFP, 2.Application Narratives, 3.Application Worksheet, 4.List of Required Documents. The Application is due in to our office no later than 3 p m on Friday, November 4.

Who We Are

The CDCA is the trade association in the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area for Community Development Corporations (CDCs), housing service providers, financial institutions, community resources, and committed individuals.

Our vision is of a Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky with exciting communities that revitalize themselves through dedication and hard work in their Community Development Corporations and Community Urban Redevelopment Corporations. With resources from around the area they will provide a variety of housing, strong commercial districts, arts and open spaces for all their residents.

We are proactive in bringing our vision to life. We provide the partnerships that strengthen the CDCs' efforts, the informational meetings to improve and excel, and the communication to keep it all together.

Special Thanks to PNC Bank, our 2011 Platinum Sponsor!